


Shallow

by Valaks



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: 30 minutes or less - Freeform, Alex is in grave danger, Buried Alive, Drabble, Febuwhump Pinch hit, Gen, In die-r need of help, Under 1K word count, Will remove if requested by Day 9 filler, sorry it’s short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29335707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valaks/pseuds/Valaks
Summary: Alex Rider’s best case scenario was a shallow grave if only because it meant someone cared enough to dig it. He just never expected to be alive in it.AR Febuwhump Day 9: Buried Alive
Relationships: Yassen Gregorovich & Alex Rider
Comments: 14
Kudos: 94
Collections: AR Febuwhump 2021





	Shallow

Alex knew that Yassen Gregorovich had never had an easy life. He had pieced together that much from Ash and Jones and Rothman and a few other places where he had scraped together information. He knew that his interest in Yassen was, at best dangerous. Yassen had a reputation even in death and asking questions could see his own. But he couldn’t help but be fascinated by the one person who had taken the chance to tell him to stop before he got in too deep. Who hadn’t killed him even when Alex had a gun to his head. Who had refused to kill him when ordered to. In a field where so many were ready to see Alex’s blood spilled it was hard not to be fascinated by the man who had refused. 

Especially given that he was a murderer, betrayed by Alex’s father, and had then sold his soul to SCORPIA to survive. Through it all he had a choice. An unsavory one, but there had been options along the line. Offers to join MI6, pushed by John to get out. Chances he had turned away.

Not the cold machinations of governments, the interest of people far more powerful and important like Alex had faced. He had long since come to terms that no matter what choice he had made, short of death, Blunt would have found a way to use him - blackmail, torture, threat of death. Blunt dealt in all of those, if he felt Alex was needed to get the job done he would have ordered them in a heartbeat. There had never been an option. Yassen hadn’t known that when he had warned him on the rooftop. He had likely thought that Alex had stepped in as willingly as he had. 

That wasn’t what Alex was jealous of though. 

Alex was jealous that he didn’t have to die alone. That his last moments, 5 at the most, had been with spent with him - clinging onto the hope that Alex would have a better life than Yassen had. Confessing a love for a man and a son that were the closest thing to connections that Yassen had left. Addled by blood loss and pain he had reached out, walls down and offered what comfort he could, given him the place that had sheltered Yassen from the very people using Alex. And then he had closed his eyes in peace. A calm death he didn’t deserve given what he had done. But enviable for all in their field.

Alex’s last moments were spent screaming and sobbing with panic as he clawed at the splintered wood of the coffin, turning his fingers bloody and slick until the lack of oxygen robbed the breath from his lungs and his screams faded into sobs, then a choked whimper, and finally silence as cold as the Russian ground around him.

**Author's Note:**

> Pinch hit for Febuwhump Day 9. Am happy to remove if the Day 9 filler is just having life come up.


End file.
